In the compact-car segment, the Japanese rule the field. With the honorable exception of the first-generation Ford Focus, American compacts have been beat by the Honda Civic, Mazda 3, and Toyota Corolla in both sales and public perception.

Part of the reason for this is that, as outgoing General Motors vice-chairman Bob Lutz says, “In the past, compact cars were seen [by domestic automakers] as a commodity that people drove because they couldn’t afford anything better.” Lutz says that the Chevy Cruze is “the first time we have taken this segment seriously,” which is a pretty damning indictment of how GM in the past produced substandard products at a price that didn’t do anyone any favors, least of all itself.